Loveridge, F orcid.org/0000-0002-6688-6305, Woodman, N orcid.org/0000-0002-5571-0451, Javed, S orcid.org/0000-0001-9629-9382 et al. (1 more author) (2022) A fast approximate method for simulating thermal pile heat exchangers. Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 32. 100368. ISSN 2352-3808
Abstract
Ground source heat pump systems, operating in conjunction with vertical ground heat exchangers, will play a key role in decarbonising heating and cooling of buildings. Design of traditional borehole heat exchangers relies on tools which implement routine analytical relationships between heat transferred and the temperature change in the ground and circulating thermal fluid. However, for novel piled foundations used as ground heat exchangers, there are few such analytical solutions available that are practical for routine implementation. This paper examines the use of a radial approximation to simulate the dynamic thermal behaviour of pile heat-exchangers. Originally developed for small diameter and high aspect ratio borehole heat exchangers, the approach is more challenging for piles since unsteady heat transfer within the pile material is more significant over typical timescales. Nonetheless, we demonstrate that for pile diameters between 300 mm and 1200 mm, generally the error is <1 °C with centrally placed heat transfer pipes or four or more pipes placed near the edge with circumferential spacing less than 550 mm. The radial model is therefore practical for most pile configurations. The strong performance of the model is demonstrated for a year of hypothetical heating and cooling cycles, and also against a field-scale thermal response test.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Ground source energy; Energy piles; Thermal piles; Pile foundations; Heat transfer; Renewable energy |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Civil Engineering (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) EP/P001351/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 13 Jun 2022 15:37 |
Last Modified: | 15 Jan 2025 14:32 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.gete.2022.100368 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:187708 |